Whitefish River she fears I'll be a servant to my history

Frolic did not speak the common tongue, for reasons Quell didn't know, though he understood perfectly. For her fib, she earned a nip to the ear and a low, chastising chrrr. He then balled his little fist and punched her in the back of the head, for good measure.

"Hey now!" Quell yelled, turning partially and shaking a fist threateningly at the otter, who now made a burbling noise similar to a giggle. "Do you want to give me even more brain damage, you four-legged dick?" There was no real heat in her voice, though she did give him a look. She didn't need one of her headaches to start right now, she'd just had one yesterday.

Facing Cleo again, Q played back the other young woman's question and was forced to admit, "Nah, I was pulling your leg. Otters are aquatic and they hatch out of eggs." This time, she actually thought she was telling the truth and didn't anticipate the flick to her ear lobe which prompted her to indignantly scream, "That wasn't even a lie!"